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20 Lira Sculpture Workshop of Yesemek
| Issuer | Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Lira |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A richly detailed scene depicting the open-air Hittite sculpture workshop of Yesemek rendered in high relief across the entire field. At centre stands a large upright basalt orthostat bearing a schematically carved human face with a rounded headdress, flanked by additional carved stone slabs and sculptural fragments scattered across a rocky, vegetation-strewn landscape. A mountainous horizon forms the background. The legend 'YESEMEK HEYKEL ATÖLYESİ' appears across the upper field in two lines, with the date designation 'MÖ 1000-900' (B.C. 1000-900) immediately below, all set against a darkened recessed background to enhance contrast with the relief. |
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| Additional information |
Yesemek, located in Gaziantep province, is one of the largest known open-air sculpture workshops and quarries of the ancient Near East, operating primarily under Hittite and later Neo-Hittite administration from roughly the 14th century BC onward. The site was rediscovered by Felix von Luschan during late 19th-century Ottoman-era excavations, with over 300 unfinished basalt sculptures still lying where ancient craftsmen abandoned them — some mid-carving. Turkey's broader numismatic program documenting UNESCO-listed and candidate heritage sites produced this issue, part of a recurring silver series the Central Bank has used since the early 2000s to document archaeological patrimony.